Cardinal Henrique

Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal
King of Portugal and the Algarves
Reign	4 August 1578 – 31 January 1580
Acclamation	28 August 1578; Lisbon
Predecessor	Sebastian
Successor	Anthony (disputed) or Philip I
Born	31 January 1512 Lisbon, Portugal
Died	31 January 1580 (aged 68) Almeirim, Portugal
Burial	Jerónimos Monastery
Dynasty	Aviz
Father	Manuel I of Portugal
Mother	Maria of Aragon
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Cardinal Henry (Portuguese: Henrique Portuguese pronunciation: [ẽˈʁik(ɨ)]; 31 January 1512 – 31 January 1580) was King of Portugal and the Algarves and a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He ruled Portugal between 1578 and 1580 and was known as Henry the Chaste (Portuguese: Henrique o Casto) and the Cardinal-King. As a clergyman, he was bound to chastity, and as such, had no children to succeed him, and thus an end to the Royal House of Aviz. His death led to the Portuguese succession crisis of 1580 and ultimately to the 60-year Iberian Union that saw Portugal share a monarch with that of Spain. The next independent monarch of Portugal would be John IV, who took the throne after 60 years of Spanish rule.

Born in Lisbon, Henry was the fifth son of King Manuel I of Portugal and Maria of Aragon.

As the younger brother of King John III of Portugal and a younger son in the royal family, Henry was not expected to succeed to the Portuguese throne. Early in his life, Henry took Holy Orders to promote Portuguese interests within the Catholic Church, then dominated by Spain. He rose fast through the Church hierarchy, becoming in quick succession Archbishop of Braga, Archbishop of Évora and Grand Inquisitor before receiving a Cardinal's hat in 1545, along with the Titulus Ss. Quattuor Coronatorum. From 1564 to 1570 he was Archbishop of Lisbon. Henry, more than anyone, endeavoured to bring the Jesuits to Portugal to employ them in the colonial empire.

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